Craig's whirlpool romance

Six years ago, he was living with his mother in a small flat on a Southampton council estate. But after selling millions of albums, Craig David is now one of the British R'n'B scene's biggest stars with a £2.5 million apartment in Hampstead.

And to prove he is living the high life, the singer is planning to install a £12,000 six-seater hot tub, complete with a champagne and ice bucket.

The 24-year-old, whose songs of urban romance were eagerly snapped up by young female fans, has applied to Camden council for permission to put the whirlpool tub on the roof terrace of his flat.

The Nordic Cantata XL features 100 high pressure jets, "walk-in" steps and an underwater light. And at a little extra cost, David could treat himself to a "vibra sound music system" to play his new album The Story Goes - and LED multi-spot lighting for that stadium effect.

Weighing 2,100 kilos with a 400-gallon capacity, it is so big that, according to the supplier, another client recently had to hire a crane, close his street to traffic and switch off the power pylons to get it in.

"It's the biggest tub we do," said a Nordic saleswoman. "You really need to get the advice of a structural engineer before installing it on a roof - the weight with water and six people is quite phenomenal."

She added: "Three months ago in Wimbledon we had to crane one in. It cost £1,600. We had to close the road and take down telephone lines."

The singer also plans to erect a white wooden trellis screen to shield his daily dips from neighbours, who include fellow pop stars Emma Bunton and Justin Hawkins from The Darkness.

It is a long way from David's childhood. He was brought up single-handedly by his mother Tina on the rough Holyrood Estate. But he started DJ-ing at 14 and a year later, won a competition to write a song for boyband Damage - which eventually led to hit singles including Rewind, Fill Me In, and 2000 debut album Born To Do It.

David bought his penthouse for £2.5 million last year. He is expected to have more luck than Stella McCartney, who lost her battle with neighbours over an illegally built rooftop power shower.

A Camden council spokesman would not comment on when or whether the application - standard practice for outside additions - was likely to be approved.